An escape from the world where kids, teenagers, and even adults can understand cancer and how to cope with it.

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For the last 4 years, my summer has always kicked off with a week at Camp Kesem, a non-profit that supports kids through and beyond a parent’s cancer. My summers went from playing with kids during the day and talking about cancer when the sun went down to having a 10ish week internship at a corporation. This year, as a college graduate and full-time employee, I had the experience to visit camp for one day on what is known as, ‘Visitor’s Day’.

While driving through the redwood trees and turning to see the campsite, my heart started to smile. I was lucky enough to drive up to the campsite with a dear friend and fellow alumni. We were both beaming to finally be reunited with some of our best friends/counselors and our campers. I spent the day with most of my campers from previous years. I was also able to sit in their Parent Memorial ceremony, which was surreal because I always planned it the previous years. Parent Memorial is a time where the kids can talk about their parent who lost their battle to cancer, share their favorite memories, and any feelings. It was such a special moment. Following the ceremony, I continued the discussion with a few teen campers and counselors. We had a such a great talk — a talk that rejuvenated me, let me get in touch with my feelings, and most importantly gave me an opportunity to be emotionally available for others suffering from the loss of their parent. The day continued with more camper and counselor bonding. My visit was short due to the obligation of having a full day’s work the following day.

My heart is still so happy and full from my visit. I am so happy I had amazing and heartfelt conversations with campers and counselors. It was a great escape from the everyday corporate life and an unforgettable opportunity to reconnect with my values and feelings of grief. Camp Kesem and the cancer community will always hold a special place in my heart. I am so thankful I still have experiences that allow me to be there for others while being there for myself. So many feelings came up that I didn’t even know I had. This taught me that I do need to step back from my busy life at times and to never my forget my cancer story. At the end of the day, it is something that heavily defines who I am, what my values are, and where I see myself in the future. I’m always so thankful for Camp Kesem and for it provides for the cancer community. To donate or learn more about Camp Kesem, visit: http://campkesem.org/.

Being affected by cancer pushes you to take care of your body in every way. Since my life has been changed by cancer, I immediately started taking proactive and preventative measures to live a healthier lifestyle. Recently, I have been researching everything from gluten-free and soy-free recipes to toxin-free make up.

Your skin is your largest organ on your body — and it absorbs about 65% of what you put on it. It absorbs the hand soap you use, the sunscreen, the shampoo and conditioner, and all of the daily products that you rely on. And for us ladies, it absorbs all the chemicals in makeup. I recently made the switch to organic, paraben-free, non-toxic products and makeup. The insides of my body and now my outside feel great! I switched to organic body lotion, deodorant, makeup wipes, shampoo and conditioner, and many makeup products.

Let’s take a deeper dive into the harmful effects of makeup full of chemicals…The last regulation created by the government for cosmetics was 1938. Only 11 hazardous are banned in the US, while other countries ban thousands. What you put on your skin is something 100% in your control. Our digestive system can metabolize, but our skin cannot. Americans spend more on beauty products than education. The beauty industry made it so that women feel like they need these products to be ‘beautiful’. Here are some tips to avoid toxic makeup:

You are beautiful, with or without excess products and makeup! Self-care and self-love will make you feel beautiful, naturally.

Use toxin and paraben-free products! Purchase organic sunscreen and deodorant, too. The latter can cause serious health adversities, including cancer. Some of my favorite beauty brands are W3LL PEOPLE, Weleda, RMS Beauty, Honest Beauty, Juice Beauty, and Dr. Hauschka. Though these products may be pricier, the lack of chemicals, parabens, and toxins are 100% worth it. You cannot put a price on your health! Health is wealth.

Read the labels! Any product can put ‘Organic’ or ‘Natural’ on labels if only a small percentage is natural and organic so the rest could be all chemicals and parabens. Avoid: parabens, PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid), polyacrylamide, acrylamide, styrene, phthalates, triclosan (which is classified as a pesticide), sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, formaldehyde, toluene (especially bad if you are pregnant), propylene glycol, diethanolamine (DEA), formaldehyde, triethanolamine, toluene, any synthetic coloring and dye, and fragrance.

Everything in moderation! Of course, everything is okay in moderation. This is nothing to throw away all of your makeup over, this is something to be aware of. Everybody should be aware of what they put on and in their bodies. And once again, everything is okay in moderation.

Our skin is our largest organ that absorbs 65% of what we put on it and over time our bloodstream absorbs the chemicals and toxins. Taking preventative measures against cancer is important, especially after a loved one is taken from the disease. For further consultation about toxin and paraben-free products and makeup, please reach out to: samira.agarwal16@gmail.com. Happy healthy living!

When I close my eyes I can still imagine your big smile and hear your laugh. Your birthday is one of my favorite days of the year because it is the day I get to celebrate your life. To me, it’s finally not about mourning you — it’s about celebrating you. Since your diagnosis and death, all of my decisions have been made as you and mom being my number one priority. My decision on which college I went to, my major, my first job, etc. Now, I feel like I make decisions for ME. My chapter of graduating college and jumping into the working world was hard without you and still is. I had such a hard time adjusting to my first job and now I am taking a little turn in my career. I wish I could call you and ask your opinion and practice my interview skills with you. Thankfully your amazing friends have been helping me so much!

Happy Birthday! This year, I feel like I am truly celebrating your life and not just grieving. I hope you are partying up in heaven, I know we are partying down here and celebrating you!

Happy 2018! As I reflect back on 2017, it becomes evident that 2017 was definitely not my best year. I struggled in different ways — personally and professionally. 2017 also had a lot of transitions, which are inevitably hard for everyone. Through the various struggles, I also had some of my best moments! I realized a lot about my friendships and made amazing memories with the real ones. I accomplished a lot in terms of my philanthropic side towards the cancer community. I was able to bond more with my family friends and family members, which made my heart so incredibly warm. The professional side of my life is where I struggled the most. I always try to see the best in every situation, and this situation made me realize what I really want in my life and what I really want to prioritize. I have grown so much in 2017 and cannot wait to see what 2018 has in store for me! I am so glad everything happened the way it did because it gave me motivation for my 2018 goals:

I am going to focus on my real friends that bring out the best in me — I’m all about quality over quantity and strengthening the friendships I have, within my family too

Compassion is very important to me — I’m going to show myself compassion and stop being so hard on myself and put my happiness first

I plan on seeing the best in everyone and everything — I often jump to the worst conclusions possible. This may stem from the adversity I faced when losing my dad because now I think everything (and everyone) has a bad ending. I’m changing my mindset to seeing the best in everyone

In 2017 I fell in love with yoga and spin class and in 2018, I want to continue attending classes regularly and build my core strenth

Travel is something that I value, but it was so hard to fit it in and budget for it while being a student. This year, I want to try my best to see new parts of the world with the people I love the most

During my four years of college, I dedicated a lot of my free time to Camp Kesem – a nonprofit organization that not only supports kids through and beyond their parent’s cancer, but builds character, empathy, and so much more in the college-student counselors. I met some of my best friends through the organization and made amazing memories. I truly built a foundation of support that acts like family. The people that make Kesem have personality traits that everyone dreams of and they all truly helped me become the best version of me.

Throughout the year, myself with the rest of the 90 or so volunteers would fundraise for the summer camp, plan the camp, engage the community, bond as a family and so much more. Then, the magical week came after the school year ended, where we would take hundreds of kids affected by their parent’s cancer to give them a week of fun every kid deserves and a safe space where they can talk about their adversity.

Being a summer camp counselor for Camp Kesem was always something I took pride in. I adore the people in the organization, stand by the mission, and strive to help those affected by cancer. This year volunteering as a counselor at Camp Kesem was my last. And this year, I truly feel that I left my heart at camp.

I have so so so many favorite memories from camp each year, but something special that always stays in my heart is our ceremony called ‘Empowerment’ where the counselors and campers go in a circle and say how we have all been affected by cancer. It’s always an emotional time where we cry so much that our eyes are swollen for at least two days. It’s one of those experiences where it is impossible to explain into words because it is that powerful.

Even though this was my last year volunteering as a summer counselor, I know I will always be involved in Camp Kesem through different ways. To start, I’m serving on two universities’ Advisory Boards where I will be helping them find resources, networking, and giving them ideas on how to create the best support system for the kids!

I did it! I graduated from college! As this day approached, I have had a plethora of emotions, both negative and positive. Lately, I have been throwing fits about different aspects of my life — my friends, my family, my education, my future, etc. While you were battling cancer, one of your biggest concerns was my future… you told everyone that, and not because you were worried I wasn’t going to be successful, but because you knew you were my person. You made it very clear that you wanted your circle of family and friends to take care of me and look over me. I get it — all you knew dying was that I was going to college for the next 4 years or so. Every time I think about my graduation ceremony, I immediately tear up because I wish you were going to be there. During the times I am supposed to be the happiest, I always miss you the most.

I know you immigrated from India to this country with nothing in your pockets when you were my age so you could give your daughters a better life and a priceless education. In these last four years without you, I accomplished a lot. I failed a lot too. But, I’m almost more proud of my failures. I joined a sorority and served on the leadership board for it. I studied abroad in Paris, and it was the best investment I ever made in myself! I ate a lot of bread, drank a lot of wine, and walked everywhere in the city. I went to India a few times — almost to look for you, but I found myself. I volunteered countless hours to the cancer community and Camp Kesem and also served on the leadership board for them. I had a minimum wage making job throughout college to pay for my coffee and shoe addiction. I didn’t start off college with the best GPA, but I only improved and even made it on the dean’s honor list a few times. I had some internships in the finance industry and now I’m officially entering as an analyst at BlackRock!!! I met my goal of getting a competitive and intelligent job after college six months before graduating! I did a lot. I missed you a lot. I still miss you a lot. I cried a lot. I laughed a lot. I loved a lot. I hated a lot. I fell down. I made mistakes. I got back up. I fell some more. I grew and I did it. I thought I couldn’t do it without you. All the decisions I had to make, all the struggles I had to overcome, all the boys I had to let go of… I wanted to call you so badly. I wanted to ask you your opinion on what classes I should take. I wanted you to help me with my job applications and prepare me for the rigorous interviews. I wanted you to meet my boyfriends. I wanted to cry to you about the boys that broke my heart. I wanted you to see me go off to college. I wanted you to see me graduate. But, I still did it. I did it, Dad and I hope I’m making you proud.

Throughout these last 4 years of coping with my father’s death to cancer, I have gained a passion for helping the cancer community out in any way I can. I am highly involved in an organization called Camp Kesem. Camp Kesem is a non-profit organization that supports kids through and beyond their parent’s cancer. I have been volunteering since my freshmen year of college, but I never really yearned for a leadership role in the position. My freshmen year I was really lost in myself. My sophomore and junior I was extremely focused on obtaining a career in the finance realm. The months approaching my senior year, I felt accomplished and ready to tackle something I have never tried before — event planning. I served on the leadership board to plan our gala event called Make the Magic. During this gala, we invite family, friends, community members, camper families to help us raise tens of thousands of dollars to fund our free summer camp for the kids. The event consists of a silent auction, a live dessert auction, a paddle raise, seated dinner, speeches, and more.

It took me about 9 months, hundreds of hours, an abundant amount of stress, and loads of tears to plan, but it was all worth it. I learned a lot about myself, including the type of stress I can handle, how much stress I can handle, the types of people I work well with, the types of people I do not work well with, and my true and honest passion for Camp Kesem. The event was beyond successful and there is nothing I would change. As a chapter, we raised a total of $78,957.94! I could not be more proud of myself and the chapter as a whole. I had an amazing team supporting me through every step of the way.

Apart from planning the event, I had the opportunity to speak about my story. Watch my speech. It was a heart-warming experience and I am so thankful for the opportunity.

Now I am weeks away from graduating and closing the chapter of my college education and opening the chapter of moving to a new city and starting a job as a wealth advisory analyst. Even though my time volunteering for Camp Kesem as a college student is ending, I have been accepted to advise Camp Kesem at a different chapter. I am so excited for the opportunity and for everything the future holds!

Today is one of my favorite days — it’s my day to celebrate you! Happy birthday! Even though it’s been four years without you, you still hold the number one place in my heart. I think of you every single day, I strive to remember you when you were healthy, and I still love you with all of my heart. As I am growing up and maturing in new ways, I am realizing that you are the first person I ever fell in love with. You always made me feel safe, loved, and happy.

I miss you more in April and May — everything reminds me of you and triggers some sort of feeling. I am currently in this transitional place in my life. In a few months, I will be graduating from college and entering the ‘real world’. I’m scared to keep moving on with my life without you by my side. In college, I felt some sense of security with adults watching over me and guiding me but as I enter adulthood, I hope I am making you proud. Happy birthday, dad — miss you more than anything.

Over the last 3.5 years or so without my dad in my life, I have visited India 3 times. My first trip to India was shortly after his passing, the point being to pay my respects to his immediate family – his mom, dad, and brother – and his enormous extended family. The following trip was solo. This was especially special to me because for the first time in my life, I traveled to different parts of India and truly bonded with my dad’s family. I also dove into learning more about my parent’s religion. My most recent trip was in December. I traveled through other parts of India again and thoroughly enjoyed every minute spent there. I adventured and dove into the culture to leave my comfort zone. I finally felt a sense of security and safety in what to me was once a foreign country.

Each trip, I made amazing memories and true connections with my family members – connections I never had living on the other side of the world away from most of my family. Each trip, I went almost looking for my dad and looking for the answers to my thousands of questions. I wanted so desperately to find out why my dad left me. Although I will never get the answer to that question, I got so many more answers. I went to India to learn more about my dad, but I learned more about myself. Each trip led me to exponential growth. Each trip taught me more about myself. While looking for my dad in India and while getting lost, I found myself.

Ever since my dad passed away, I have been looking for some sense of security. Losing a parent at the vulnerable age of 18 made me believe the world was insecure and evil. It made me insecure about myself as a whole and about my decisions regarding various things. Traveling abroad, especially to a country with generations of family, connections, and memories gave me that sense of security. I was born and raised in this country, but I find myself feeling homesick from India. I am so thankful for all of my experiences and my opportunities to travel. I cannot wait for my next trip and the new discoveries I make!

In the last few months, I lost three grandparents. Within 8 days in August, I lost two of my grandparents (https://copingwithcancer.org/2016/10/24/what-losing-two-grandparents-within-8-days-after-losing-a-parent-taught-me/). Days before Thanksgiving, my other grandmother passed away – my dad’s mom. My dad’s mom was always the light of my life. I saw so much of my dad in her — their contagious smiles, their unconditional love for our family, and their warm and gentle hearts. After I found out she wasn’t doing too well and was admitted to the hospital, I immediately felt my heart sink. A few days later, she passed away. Initially, I felt numb and I felt like another part of my dad was gone. Of course, this isn’t true… but that is how I felt and still feel. I fully understand that at the age I am, grandparents are bound to naturally deteriorate and get sick. I also fully understand that this part of life. I wish I could have seen my dad’s parents one last time and get a few more favorite stories of my dad before they had to go. Although I feel so much heartbreak, I now know that I have three more guardian angels looking down at me, always and forever.

Today is one of the best days of the year – #GivingTuesday. #GivingTuesday is worldwide philanthropic movement to push for donations after a materialistic weekend with Black Friday and Cyber Monday. As many know, I dedicate my free time to Camp Kesem. Camp Kesem is a non-profit organization that supports kids aged 6-16 years old through and beyond their parent’s cancer. There are over 3 million kids that have been touched by their parent’s cancer.

Camp Kesem is full of amazing, selfless, mature, and genuine volunteers that have all faced adversity and have a heart full of love ready to help these kids. I joined this organization my freshmen year of college (just months after losing my dad to cancer) and now as a senior in college, I reflect on my college career and I have no doubt that Camp Kesem saved my life. I met other college students and kids of all ages that understand me in ways others cannot. I have met some of my best friends through this organization and made amazing memories. Learn more about Camp Kesem: http://campkesem.org/

My chapter’s goal is to raise $15,000 on #GivingTuesday and $150,000 throughout this year. Please help me reach my goal to help these kids who have been affected by cancer by donating: https://donate.kesem.org/fundraise?fcid=787614

Towards the end of the summer, while I was mentally preparing for my final year of college, I lost two grandparents within 8 days — my dad’s dad and my mom’s mom.

When I first found out my grandpa passed away, my immediate thought was that my dad has somebody there with him now. I told some family members and close friends about my immediate thought and all of them said something along the lines of, “Wow, that’s such a great way of looking at this.” I was able to digest both of my grandparent’s deaths much easier compared to my father’s death. Realistically, I will never be able to fully digest and grasp my father’s death because in my eyes it was an unfair, painful, and tragic death that he, nor my family, did not deserve. Of course losing anyone in your life is a tough battle that no one deserves. I was able to accept the fact that my grandparents lived a full, happy, and healthy life. Neither of their deaths happened to be too painful and I am so very thankful for that. Knowing my dad suffered and knowing he was in so much pain during the final months of his life will always kill me inside. Every single time I think about the pain he was in, I feel sick to my stomach and somehow blame myself.

Losing my father before two of my grandparents taught me even more about life. It taught me that everyone has their time to ‘go’; everyone has an expiration date in this life we live. I will always question sickness and death, but my life experiences have taught me how to deal with it. After I saw my mom lose my dad three years ago, and then lose her mom this last summer, I knew how to comfort her. I knew what she needed and I knew I had to support her and other members in our family, just like how all of my family members supported me (and still support me) through my dad’s death. I will always miss my grandparents but I know they are resting easy, and I feel so much comfort knowing my dad has some company now, too.

As many know, I dedicate all of my free time to an organization that supports kids who have been affected by a parent’s cancer, Camp Kesem. Camp Kesem has changed my life in so many positive ways. I have found mentors who I trust telling every detail in my life to and some of my best friends.

This year I was the unit leader for the teenage girls, aged 15-16 years. I feel so humbled and blessed to not only to get to know the girls that were in my unit, but also to be a mentor, friend, and role model to them.

I have an amazing and selfless support system, consisting of friends and family, who truly took care of me while my dad was sick and during his passing. My support system stopped their lives to take care of my mom, my sister, and myself. I know that I can still rely on them for whatever hurdles I have to overcome. My dad’s close friends and family are always so open to talking about my dad and about cancer when I need a therapeutic and valuable conversation to uplift any negative feelings.

After volunteering my time to Camp Kesem for the last three years, I have realized that not everyone has a support system like mine. This realization pushes me even more to dedicate my time, energy, and feelings to these kids who are in dire need of a support system, or someone to just listen to them vent about the adversity they face.

Our camp advisor, Baloney, explains Camp Kesem as the revenge on cancer. When she told me that, it really stuck with me and now that is how I explain Kesem to others. Camp Kesem is a safe place for kids to have fun and be kids again, but more importantly a chance for them to talk about to about cancer and their feelings about the deadly disease.

I felt such a deep connection to the kids in my unit and to the new counselors that have joined the Kesem family! I remember when I was a freshman and sophomore, I would look up to the older counselors with the utmost respect (and continue to do so) and after growing up with Kesem, I finally feel like I am becoming a mentor to the new counselors. These post-camp feels make me rejuvenated with a happy heart! I am so beyond thankful for the experience and I cannot wait until next year!

Happy Father’s Day to all the amazing, inspiring, strong fathers out there! I am so thankful for all of the father figures I have. Thankfully, the last two Father’s Days I have been volunteering at Camp Kesem so I was distracted from the pain of not having a dad to celebrate. Today I spent the day with my dad’s family at a winery. I had the perfect day and I am forever thankful for the support system I have. Of course, I wish I had my dad so I could celebrate him and his amazing soul, but I have so many father figures to celebrate. I would say the hardest part of Father’s Day is watching everyone post about their dad on social media. On days like this, it is best to stay off of social media and stay busy! Happy Father’s Day again to all the dads out there!

Today is my dad’s three year death anniversary. I still feel the broken heart. I think of my dad and his lively personality and selfless heart and genuine smile, and I feel a broken heart. There are no words to describe this feeling, but all I know is that my heart is broken. It is so broken. I still miss my dad so much and I wish I knew how to cope with this feeling. Sometimes I cope by trying to keep myself so ridiculously busy so I just numb out the pain and sometimes I try so hard to feel my feelings and cry everything out. No matter what coping mechanism I use, I still feel my broken heart.

I feel my heart sink every single time I think about the pain my dad was in. I feel my heart sink every time I have the urge to call him (which has been quite frequent recently). I feel my heart sink knowing he won’t be there for the major life events. I feel my heart sink knowing that so many people go through this.

Three years later, my heart continues to sink and I continue to miss my best friend.

The last three years have flown by, but there are those days where I feel like everything is going by so slow and my grief is so deep and my pain is indescribable. Despite it all, I am still so proud of myself. In the last three years, I have accomplished so much for my academic and professional life, while learning so much about personal growth and my soul. I wish I could share all of it with my dad. Every single day when I’m walking to class, or work, or extracurriculars, I have this urge to call him. I keep staring at my phone secretly hoping I’ll see his name pop up calling me.

Although I take pride in the person I am today, there are so many days where I want to throw in the towel. Sometimes I am just so exhausted from…school, jobs, internships, and life.

Three years later, and I still need time to grieve. I still need time to digest all my life changes.

I hate to admit it, but much of my anger has yet to disappear. I have triggers that really set me off and I wish I could control it, but I cannot. Some of the smallest things make me so upset, or sad, or emotional. I am still pretty sensitive and I noticed as soon as my dad passed away, I became so sensitive, self-conscious and lost all of my self-esteem. Although my self-esteem is slowly but surely coming back, I am now struggling with aspects of life that I never used to struggle with.

Three years later, and I am trying to find the self-esteem that was lost.

Three years later and I am still grieving. Like I have written about before, grief doesn’t get easier but you get stronger. In the grand scheme of things, three years really isn’t that long. I take full pride in the person I am today. I am still as motivated and driven to constantly give back to the cancer community. At the end of the day, I am so happy with who I am, the people in my life, and how everything has panned out. Days like today push me to do some extra reflection and I am just so thankful!

Three years later, I still feel the broken heart, but I continue to grieve in a healthy way and progressively move forward with the amazing life I was blessed with.

Today I had a picnic in SF and thought only the happiest thoughts about my dad.

DNR – It stands for Do Not Resuscitate. The DNR was created to help patients during terminal illness and it basically declines the patients of life-saving measures. I watched my mom sign this form the day my dad was admitted to hospice care and didn’t really understand it, but also didn’t have the energy to ask any questions about it.

Only later during the minutes of my father’s death, I understood what my dad told my mom to sign. It took my awhile to comprehend why my dad made this decision (and why mom supported it), and now I see how selfish I was being. I wanted my dad to live longer, but he was in so much excruciating pain. Of course he didn’t want to be living in more pain and now that I understand that and the point of a DNR, I feel much more at peace.

Signing a DNR is a patient’s choice. My recommendation is to support your parent or loved one in whatever decision they make. The sooner you realize the point of a DNR and where your parent/loved one stands on it, the situation becomes easier to cope with and the death becomes more peaceful.

Happy birthday! I miss you… I miss you so much every single day. Your birthday has always been an emotional day for me because it reminds me of your amazing personality and how much I want you back in my life. Around this time of year I can feel my broken heart.

I really want you to know that I’m finally happy (or at least getting there). I tried so hard these past couple of years to be happy for you, but now I’m happy for me. I feel like I’m focusing on my life and my future finally. I’m living for me. In the past few years I felt like everything I was doing, I was doing for you and now in the past few months, everything I do, I do for me. Of course I always have you in the back of my mind in all my actions and thoughts and of course I miss you deeply, but I also really missed myself during these past few years. The part of me that died with you is finally coming alive again, and that is my birthday present to you. I know this is what you would have wanted. I can’t wait to see you again, happy birthday!

27 days. I had 27 days from the time I found out my dad was going to die until the moment he took his last breath. 2 years earlier, my dad was diagnosed with fourth stage colorectal cancer in May of 2011. There are two costs that come with a cancer diagnosis – the financial cost and the emotional cost. There’s the price of the overly expensive chemotherapy drugs, surgeries and weekly doctor appointments. And then there is the price of pain and grief. Apart from these costs, there is another underlying factor that is often overlooked: culture. Cultural differences are conveyed uniquely within cancer-affected families and furthermore, America’s money-driven culture is clearly exemplified through healthcare costs and policies.

The United States spends up to $2 trillion annually on healthcare, about 18% of the nation’s gross domestic product and more than any other developed country. The costs are highest at the time of the diagnosis and towards the end of the patient’s life when the cancer is declared as terminal. According to the American Cancer Society, the U.S. spent $88.7 billion on cancer medical costs in 2011, 50% of which was spent on hospital and doctor visits, 35% on hospital stays and 11% on prescription drugs.

The economics of palliative care is much different than that of the cancer diagnosis. Palliative care costs consider other factors because this is a time where the doctors, the patient and the patient’s family have decided to stop treatment and rather focus on pain relief, in hopes of creating a sense of comfort during the last stages of life. 10% to 12% of health care spending is allocated to hospice care.

Many disease-fighting drugs have patents, mechanically creating a monopoly for a medication that should not be exploited if the creators have a heart whatsoever. Last September, Daraprim, a drug that fights cancer and AIDS, increased in price by 5,000% from $13.50 to $750 per pill, according to NBC News. Impax Laboratories (IPXL) acquired CorePharma, who originally created and owned the drug. After the $700 million acquisition, Impax Laboratories decided to surge the price of Daraprim. IPXL is a profit-seeking company that trades on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) for about $34 per share. IPXL also acquired Tower Holdings, Inc. and Lineage Therapeutics Inc. After studying the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that was filed for 2014’s fiscal year, it is evident that the CEO, G. Frederick Wilkinson, walked away with a salary of $862,793, 50% more than the rest of the executives, not including bonuses. However, with the 17% ownership of stocks that Wilkinson has, he truly walked away with $12,978,870 last year. In 2014, the company reported revenues of $596 million; with the latest price increases, IPXL’s 2015 revenue will increase by at least 35% purely from the increased prices of necessary drugs for cancer-stricken patients.

In my personal experiences, my family and I were willing to do anything, in hopes of giving my dad another day of life. My dad’s top-notch oncologist, Dr. Cabebe was experimenting different chemotherapies on his body causing severe side effects, side effects that created mouth sores, side effects that caused his skin to peel off of his hands and feet, side effects that made him throw up consecutively for three days after chemotherapy sessions, side effects that weakened his body. The excruciating mouth sores prevented him from eating any sort of food. Dr. Cabebe recommended a liquid medication to diminish this side effect. Unfortunately, our insurance didn’t cover the bottle of medicine. My family and I were at a point where we felt it was necessary to do everything in our power to give my dad the most comfortable life possible, despite the price; we paid for the medicine.

Cancer took my dad away from me, but it also created a lifestyle change, a lifestyle change that has reshaped my values and opinions on life and moreover, taught me the complex economics behind cancer.

As mentioned, the first cost of cancer that everyone considers is the chemotherapy medicines, hospital bills and doctor visits. But the cost of the pain and grief is something most families don’t take into account. There are so many sacrifices to be made when a cancer diagnosis comes into play. After facing this hardship, it is clear that the pain never goes away, but families become stronger. The pain of my dad’s death will never leave my soul, but I have gained strength. I have learned how to deal with my feelings in a healthy way. I have learned who cares about my pain and grief. I have learned who genuinely wants to help me get through the toughest of times. Grief cannot be explained in words or showed in monetary terms. It’s a heart-wrenching feeling that portrays the price of love. There is no humanly possible way to ‘get over’ the death of a loved one, especially after seeing him/her sick and suffer for a long period of time. Terminal cancer patients’ loved ones usually start their grief during the hospice days because during this time, the patient is slowly dying every single day; their bodies deteriorate; they sleep as much, if not more than infants; their organs start to fail and eventually their heart cannot beat anymore.

Everyday I witnessed my dad’s body weaken and smelled his rotting body. I remember him asking me to massage his legs and the second that I applied pressure with just one finger I could feel the fluids running through his body; it was like squishing gelatin. That is when my grief started.

Not only do the two costs play a factor into one’s cancer story, but culture also shapes cancer stories. The cultural aspect is something I never expected to conflict with, until my dad passed away. Most Hindu families transport the deceased body to India to perform the cremation ceremony and immediately disperse the ashes in the holy Ganges River. Instead, all of my uncles flew from India the second my dad’s heart stopped beating. Two days later, we cremated my dad’s body near our home. My dad’s brother, my mom, my sister and I pushed the button that took his body into the cremation machine. My uncles flew back to India and pocketed his ashes to scatter into the holy Ganges River as soon as possible to follow Hindu traditions.

The cost of the pain and grief cancer carries is indescribable and cannot be quantified. The more apparent expenses of cancer, including the hospitals, doctors and more, cost the U.S. over $88 billion annually. Although the financial burden, emotional pain and cultural differences bring so much more pain to a cancer diagnosis than anticipated, it also unlocks different perspectives. It matures patients and care takers. Through my adversity, I have discovered more about the meaning of life and what I value in my life and culture. Despite any sorrow I have faced, I will always be thankful for my experiences because each one has taught me something different about my life, my culture and myself. Cancer unveils cultural collisions that are buried beneath family dynamics, especially immigration. I would have never guessed how the financial burden of cancer, the emotional pain and cultural differences play a role in disease and death.

I wish I could tell everyone that loses a parent at such a vulnerable age, that the pain becomes easier to cope with. I wish I could tell them the pain goes away… but it doesn’t. The pain will always stay with you. But there is a silver lining, and it’s that you will get stronger.

I have been going through so many changes in my personal life lately and figuring out what I really want in my life (hence the lack of recent blog posts). I’ve also been unbelievably focused on my career goals over the last couple of months and through that, I brought myself to believe that I was completely done grieving. I kept telling myself to get back to the ‘old’ me. I kept pushing myself to my limit every time I was feeling low. I kept believing that my time for grieving was over. But in the last few weeks, I realized that the grief does not go away, nor does it get easier. I realized I can never go back to the ‘old’ me. The ‘old’ me had a different life – I was in high school with two parents. I didn’t have so many stresses of the real world. Due to the family dynamic changes and the move to college, there would never be an ‘old’ me again. I’m now coming to the conclusion that I’m making a ‘new’ me. I am making my life and figuring out who I want to be and what values I hold. I am figuring out how to create a career for myself. I am defining my own happiness.

Lately, I’ve been keeping my grieving moments more and more to myself. I can also finally talk about my dad in a positive and normal way. I don’t feel like I’m stepping on eggshells anymore. I always used to feel guilty talking about my dad to others because I thought I was putting friends/family in an awkward situation. And sometimes I still feel that, but I’ve learned how to get past that feeling of guilt. I’ve learned who I can talk to about my dad and I learned who genuinely cares about my feelings and my pain. I still break down about him and I still dream about him all the time, but I am so much happier with who I am and where I am in my life. Although I am still trying to figure a few things here and there, I’m finally starting to see my victories as accomplishments and my failures as steps to success. I have finally defined what happiness means to me. I can confidently say I have gotten stronger when it comes to dealing with grief and adversity. I’ve learned what I can handle and what I need to be able to get through tough times.

The most important thing is to take care of yourself and your mental health. I do what makes my soul smile and my heart happy, and I don’t care if I disappoint somebody or if somebody judges me for that anymore. Remember that you define your happiness and you are the only person who knows what you need. Realizing this, will help deal with any grief or adversity and make you stronger.

In the beginning of my sophomore year of college, I went through recruitment for Greek life, and received an invitation to join Pi Beta Phi.

So I only didn’t just join Pi Beta Phi because I wanted support for my cancer story I was struggling to cope with, but also support for normal college experiences that I didn’t get my freshmen year, because I honestly wasn’t mentally ready to go back to school. I didn’t know how to talk to people about, well, anything a part from cancer. I also didn’t know how to answer questions like, ‘how was your summer?’. None of those surface level conversations made any sense to me.

Sophomore year, I went into college with an open mind and positive attitude. Ever since freshmen year, I knew I wanted to be a part of a sorority. So, my sophomore year (when I was more mentally ready) I rushed Pi Beta Phi, the same sorority my sister was apart of during her college experience.

I was in complete shock when I saw true sisterhood traits in all of the members immediately after receiving a bid. When I posted “The Cancer Story” on my blog, the article immediately blew up. Truth be told, I wasn’t expecting a lot of support from my sorority sisters since I had just joined, but oh, was I very wrong. I immediately saw my fellow sisters sharing it on social media, commenting on the post, and more. And the support from this new chapter of my life felt so awesome. Later in the year, I was chosen to speak at Relay for Life. Once again I wasn’t expecting much of a turnout from them, but I was wrong. I looked into the crowd and saw so many beautiful and familiar faces from Pi Beta Phi. I then realized I only didn’t join just to make friends and have a better social life at school, but also gained an amazing sisterhood.

Later in the year, I went to a national conference for Pi Beta Phi where the politics and business of this organization was discussed and taught. I shared my story at one of the leadership workshops, which happened to be about resiliency and bouncing back from adversity. After I voiced my opinion and story, I saw applauding hands and teared eyes. I then understood that I don’t only have a sisterhood I can always rely on at my school, but also nation wide.

I will admit that with other organizations I am apart of, it is sometimes easier to connect to people on a much deeper level immediately, but in my sorority there are people who have been affected by cancer and have faced different types of adversity, and it’s always so awesome to share stories and inspire one another. Moreover, it’s a heart-warming feeling knowing that I have been an inspiration to those who have never been affected, and hopefully never will be. I’m so glad I joined this amazing sisterhood, and I can’t wait for our chapter to grow this upcoming Fall!